The Fitzgerald Leader Enterprise And Press

Boll Weevil Tests
At Tifton Station

Every Known Method to Fight Pest Being Tried Out at Experimental Station At Tifton

For the information of our farmer readers we gladly publish the following letter to Mr. J. E. Turner from the Tifton Experimental Station.

Every known method to fight the pest is being tried out at this station and its results are being watched with a great deal of interest throughout this section

Prof. Starr, director at the station writes:

Tifton, Ga., July 10, 1923.

Mr. J. E. Turner, Fitzgerald, Ga.

Dear Mr. Turner:

Prof. Lewis was at the station this morning and said that you would like to know something of the results being obtained with various methods of boll weevil control under test.

In one ten acre field we are conducting a test as follows:

1st—Check or no poison
2nd—Hill’s Mixture.
3rd—Home made Syrup poison mixture,
4th—Calcium Arsenate, dust.
5th—Florida Method

Our agronomist is also trying other methods in a small way, but the above is the main test.

Each area has been poisoned seven times to date. On account of the excessive rains, three applications were largely washed off. There are very few weevil signs in the poisoned area so far, while the unpoisoned area shows abundant weevils. Grown bolls are plentiful in the poisoned area, but very scarce in the unpoisoned area. Of course, there are no bolls in the Florida method plot where the squares were removed June 15th. In other words, there seems to be a good prospect of a cotton crop on the poisoned area.

Naturally, we will have to wait until the cotton is picked before we can arrive at any conclusions as to the most practical method. So far the home made syrup poison has been as effective as anything and it is cheap. We made it up by mixing three pounds of calcium arsenate with one gallon of syrup and three gallons of water.

It was applied at seven or eight day intervals with a rag and stick mop.

We began poisoning May 10th. We believe the early poisoning just before the squares are formed on the plant has helped greatly in holding the weevil in check.

We would be glad to have you and any of your friends who may be interested, drive over and inspect the work. You can get a very good idea at this time as to how the various control methods are holding the weevil in check.